Hospital board terminates Quorum contract

The board’s vote to terminate the three-year contract, which took effect on Jan. 31, was unanimous, according to community relations director Jim Strader.

The contract with Quorum has given Bartlett access to its group purchasing organization.

In lieu of the Quorum contract, the hospital will issue a request for proposal on group purchasing, Strader added.

Quorum, a Brentwood, Tenn.-based hospital management company, was the employer for Bartlett’s chief executive officer and chief financial officer until a new contract went into effect early this year.

Then-CEO Shawn Morrow and then-CFO Garth Hamblin left the hospital at the end of January due to the change in contract. Chris Harff and Ken Brough, respectively the new CEO and CFO of Bartlett, are employees of the City and Borough of Juneau.

The board’s meeting Tuesday was the first since Billy Gardner replaced Cathy Carter as the hospital’s director of nursing.